End stop for slide fasteners



Aug. 7, 1951 A. M. BROWN END STOP FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Aug. 50, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

'Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE END STOP FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Alexander M. Brown, New Britain, Conn.,y assign' or to The North & Judd Manufacturing Company, New Britain, Conn., a corporation o! Connecticut Application August 30, 1946, Serial No. v694,026

(ci. 24-2o5.11) y Claims.

This invention relates to slide fasteners and, in particular, to the provision of new and improved end stops therefor.

It is an object of this invention to provide such slide fastener end stops which may be readily, cheaply, and conveniently produced from relatively `inexpensive metallic sheet material bent to final shape and form. f

It is a further object of this invention -to provide such an end stop which comprises spaced wings adapted to engage opposite sides of fastener Stringer tapes `and which wings are connected by an integral neck extending lengthwise between the upper edge of one wing and the lower edge of the other wing.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such an end` stop wherein the aforesaid neck provides means for predeterminedly maintaining the desired tape spacing throughout the length of the end stop while providing for additional strength and rigidity thereof by supporting and lowermost fastener scoop or interlocking element Fig. 8 is a viewsimilar to Fig. but illustrating the first step of the clinching operation;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, but illustrating a subsequent step in the clinching operation;

Fig. 10 is a view, similar to Fig. 5, of a modied end stop forming blank wherein the tape edge engaging portions are crimped or bent to concave and convex form prior to bending of the blank for attachment to the fastener stringers;

Fig. 11 is an end view, similar to Fig. 6, of the blank of Fig. l0 as bent and loosely attached to the Stringer tapes before the clinching operation;

Fig. l2 is a view, similar to Fig. `8, illustrating the first step in the clinching of the blank of Fig. 11 to the fastener Stringer tapes; and

Fig. 13` is a View similar to Fig. l2 of a subsequent step in the clinching operation.

reinforcing the opposite wings with which it is in contact from end to end thereof, and by providing a strengthening bend at each end of the end stop along transverse lines at each end of It is a further object of this invention to provide a blank formed of sheet metal and adapted particularly to the formation of such an end stop l forms a part thereof, and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

the neck at its junction with the adjacent wing.-

'I'heillustrative slide fastener shown in Fig. 1

comprises a righthand Stringer I5 and a lefthand Stringer I6 each of which stringers comprises a flexible tape I'I with a conventional edge rein'- forcement I8 having rows of scoops I9 secured thereto in predetermined spaced relation.

The slider is slidably supported on the rows of 'scoops I9 and provides means for progressively interlockingly engaging the rows of scoops I9 upon upward movement thereof through the stringers I5 and IB adjacent and above the uppermost scoops I9 tolimit upward movement of the slider and prevent it from running off the scoops' I!)` at the upper end of the fastener. All of the above described parts and features of the illus- Fig. l is a front view, partly broken away, of

a conventional slide fastener provided `with .a bottom end stop formed according to this invention;

plane indicated by the line 2-2 in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on th plane indicated by the line 3--3 in Fig. 2;

trated fastener may be of conventional form.

At their lower ends, adjacent and below the rows of scoops I9. the stringers I5 and |16 are coupled by an end stop formed and attached according to` this invention and generally designated 2l Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken along the Fig. 4 is a section taken substantiallyon'theV plane indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a blank from which the end stop may be formed; A

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the blank of Fig. 5 bent and loosely attached to in Fig. 1.

The end stop 2l is formed from a one-piece blank of relatively stiff and rigid sheet material as shown in Fig. 5. This blank comprises similar, preferably rectangular, wing portions 25 connected by a longitudinal neck or tongue portion 26 preferably of such length that it will be flat and in contact with the overlying portions of the front and back wings of the stop when it is'. crimped to the tapes as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The front wing which is formed by one of the rectangular portions 25 is designated 21; the rear or back wing which is formed by the other blank portion 25 is designated 28.

u il 3 In formingand applying the stop 24 the blank of Fig. 5 may be bent along the lines 26a to bring the portions 26 into substantial -parallelism as shown in Figs. 6 and '1.v The spacing of these uncrimped portions 26 is preferably such as to permit convenient placement of the tape edge reinforcementsv i8 therebetween either threadedly, i. e. longitudinally, or transversely. Preferably the blank 25, 25, 26 as thus loosely attached will be retained in position by friction.

Thereafter the blankis subjected to pressing and/or crimping and clinching by means of a tool or machine including jaws or platens 29 and 30 (Fig. 8) which may be closed or forced toward one another to form the channelled wings 21 and 28 from the blank portions 25 while bringing the neck portion 26 into firm engagement with adjacent overlying surface portions of the wings both lengthwise (Fig. 3) and transversely (Fig. 4) substantially coextensive with the area of the neck or neck portion 26. In other words, when the wings 21 and 28 and the neck or tongue 26 are clinched (as shown in Figs. 4 and 5) the end stop comprises a three ply central rib and integral laterally spaced, longitudinally extending jaws formed by the wing channels and adapted clampingly to engage the stringer tape edge reinforcements.

One of the platens or jaws 29 or sli is Preferably pr'ovided with a projection or extension 3l which engages between the upper edge of one wing and the lowermost scoop i9 (Figs. 7 and 8) predeterminedly to locate the end stop 24 with respect thereto, longitudinally of the fastener.

As will be seen by comparison of Figs. 8 and 9, the platens or jaws 29 and 3U form the portions 25 of the blank into their nal channelled form wherein to provide substantially parallel jaws which clampingly embrace the reinforced tape edge portions I8. At the same time the central areas of the portions 25 are brought into rm engagement with both sides of the neck 29 coextensively with its area.

As will be readily seen from Figs. 3, 4 and 7, for instance, the end stop 24 is symmetrical both longitudinally and transversely and either end may thus be the top or bottom end; either wing may be the front wing; and either side may be the right side, or the left side. This feature materially simplifies assembly of the blanks to the stringer tapes over that of previous top stops which were generally provided with a single looplike neck joining the lower edges of the front and Back wings.

Furthermore, the extension of the neck 26 between one end edge of one wing and the opposite end edge of the other wing materially increases the rigidity of the stop over that of such prior end stop constructions since it provides a reinforcement for the end stop which is coextensive with its length. The neck 0r tongue 26 also engages the tape edge reinforcements i8 throughout the length of the stop and thus guides or retains them in substantial parallelism throughout the length of the end stop 24. The provision of bends (at 25a) at both ends ofthe stop also materially increases the rigidity of 'the structure provided by the similar and complementary wings 21 and 28 and the intermediate integral neck 26.

The wings 21 and 2B, or the side jaws thereof, are preferably so firmly clamped about the reinforced tape edges i8 as to compress the portions engaged thereby to prevent endwise movement of the stop with respect to the fastener in a manner well known in the art.

As an alternative to the blank 2s, n. shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the wing forming portions 2l may be crimped in opposite directions in the fiat" as shown in Figs. l0 and ll to form convex channel portions 26h and complementary concave channel portions 26o which cooperate in the finished clinched end stop to form the tape edge reinforcement clamping side jaws of the end stop.

The blank is thereafter bent along the lines 25a to press or form the channel portions 26h upwardly in one portion 26 and the concave channel portions 25a in the other portion 26 therebeneath, with the wings 21 and 26 in substantial parallelism.

The unclinched end stop is then properly located with respect to the fastener and clinched or crimped in position on the stringers i6 and i6 by the jaws or platens 29 and 30 as shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

While the end stop 24 is illustrated as applied and used as a bottom stop, it is. of course, capable of use as a bridge top stop either unmodified or, preferably, with appropriate widening of the tongue or neck 26 or, in other words. with such increase in spacing of the tape edge reinforcement engaging channels as to secure the desiredspacing of the upper end portions of the stringer tapes.

From the above description it will clearly appear that I have provided new and improved slide fastener end stop constructions which may be readily fabricated from sheet metal and firmly attached to the stringer tapes of slide fasteners. It will also appear that these constructions provide accurate stringer tape spacing throughout the length of the end stop and are possessed of very great strength and rigidity because of the high degree of crenelation of the sheet metal therein which permits of the use of cheaper and lighter sheet metal than was heretofore satisfactory for the manufacture of slide fastener end stops.

It is, of course, to be understood that the above description is merely illustrative and in nowise limiting and that I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as are included within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: n y

l. An end stop for slide fasteners comprising a pair of complementary edge reinforced stringer tapes, said end stop comprising a pair of wings having longitudinal channels clampingly engaging opposite sides of the edge reinforcements of said stringer tapes, and an integral neck joining the central portion of the upper edge of one of said wings with the central portion of the lower edge of the other wing, said neck being united at each end to one of said wings with a bend rendering said neck and both of said wings parallel and in substantial contact for imparting rigidity to said end stop.

2. An end stop for slide fasteners comprising a pair of complementary edge reinforced stringer tapes, said end stop comprising a pair of wings having longitudinal channels clampingly engaging opposite sides ofthe edge reinforcements of said stringer tapes, and an integral neck extending between said stringer tapes and joining the central portion of the upper edge of one of said wings with the central portion of the lower edge of the other wing, said neck being united at each end to one of said wings with a bend, said bends rendering said neck and both of said wings substantlally parallel and in contact for imparting rigidity to said end stop, and said neck also engaging the adjacent reinforced edge portions of said Stringer tapes for controlling the spacing of said stringer tapes throughout the length of said end stop.

3. An end stop for slide fasteners comprising complementary Stringer tapes, said end stop comprising a pair of spaced wings adapted to engage opposite sides of both Stringer tapes adjacent one end, and a connection between said wings comprising an integral neck extending from the upper edge of one of said wings to the lower edge 0f said other Wing, said neck having substantial contact With both of said wings throughout their entire length for strengthening and increasing the rigidity of said end stop.

4. An end stop for slide fasteners comprising complementary edge reinforced Stringer tapes, said end stop comprising a pair of spaced wings each adapted to engage one of the opposite sides of both stringer tapes, and an integral connection between said wings comprising a neck extending from the upper edge of one of said wings to the lower edge of said other wing, said neck being disposed substantially centrally of the width of said wings, and predeterminedly spacing the Stringer tape inner edges throughout the length of said end stop, and said neck having contact with both of said wings substantially throughout their entire length for strengthening and increas, ing the rigidity of said end stop.

5. In combination, in a slide fastener, a pair of complementary stringer tapes with edge reinforcements having rows of interlockingly engageable scoops secured thereto, and an end stop comprising a pair of spaced wings clampingly engaging opposite sides of both Stringer tapes be yond the row of scoops thereon at one end, and a connection between said wings comprising an integral neck extending from the upper edge of one of said wings to the lower edge of said other wing between the tape edge reinforcements and closely engaging each wing, said neck predeterminedly spacing said Stringer tape throughout the length of said end stop and strengthening and increasing the rigidity of said end stop.

ALEXANDER M. BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,084,429 Harner Jan. 13, 1914 1,216,430 Forsyth Feb. 29, 1917 1,889,336 Legat Nov. 29, 1932 1,964,485 Seaver June 26, 1934 2,039,382 Balduf May 5, 1936 2,191,280 Kiessnng gt Feb. 20, 1940 

